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New England beef producers hopeful about Coalition export plans

Livestock producers in New England are optimistic about the incoming Government's plan to address the live export situation.

Kim Honan

Beef producers in the New England are calling for the opening up of the live export market to be one of the first things addressed in a new government.

The Coalition says it'll open up Indonesia for more trade potential and apologise on behalf of the nation for the banning of live exports in recent times.

Tamworth Stock Selling Agents' Association president Ian Morgan says local producers are facing a hostile cattle market due to low rainfall and uncertainty about the industry's direction.

"The market could only be described as very tough," he said.

Mr Morgan says he has high hopes the incoming Coalition government will take a look at the issue.

"Long term, it can only help," he said.

"The Indonesian situation has impacted severely on our market here.

"A lot of those cattle that would normally go into Indonesia have been flooding back into south-east Queensland into our regular markets, so anything would be positive as far as lifting the numbers into Indonesia goes."

Mr Morgan says he has confidence in New England MP-elect Barnaby Joyce's understanding of the pressures facing northern Australian cattlemen.

Local livestock carrier Ron Watts says the state of the market is "terrible" due to the current export numbers.

"We're looking at cows down to 80 cents," he said.

"We've got young cattle only making $1.50 when they should be making $1.80 to $1.90, but they can source their cattle from the north and those fellas up there are sending them down this way because they haven't got the export to go to."